Food Files

Advance registration or reservations are recommended for most events. Prices exclude tax and gratuity unless otherwise noted. ON THE PLATE March 24 Silver Lake Winery trots out its 2000 merlot, 2001 reserve chardonnay, and other bottles of note to accompany a lavish five-course prix fixe at the Marina Park Grill in Kirkland. On the menu: stuffed jumbo prawn, pan-fried duck breast with red potatoes, and filet mignon topped with chanterelle mushroom sauce. $60. 7 p.m. 89 Kirkland Ave., 425-889-9000. KIRKLAND March 27 This week is a good one for Mafia-friendly food events. As if to complement Thursday's Sicilian cooking class (see below), Collins Pub has organized a "Wise Guy Dinner" with none other than Henry Hill, reformed mobster extraordinaire. The guy Ray Liotta played in Goodfellas will be on hand to sign copies of his Wise Guy Cookbook; the cost of the event includes an autographed copy of the book, "red wine," and a four-course Italian feast. $60. 7–10 p.m. 526 Second Ave., 206-623-1016. PIONEER SQUARE March 28 "Food as art" is the theme of the fifth annual Central District Forum. An all-star team of local African-American chefs will prepare their favorite dishes while musical guests Felicia Loud and the Soul get soulful. The evening also includes a screening of a film titled Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self. Please note: Dress code is semiformal. $75. 6:30–11 p.m. Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St., 206-323-4032. DOWNTOWN SEATTLE April 3 Seattle's annual Polish Easter bazaar (now in its 40th year!) is your best bet for pierogi and their many comestible friends: pickle soup, borscht, stuffed cabbage, Polish sausage, sauerkraut, and mead (aka honey wine). If you're Polish or you eat like you are, come on down. Free admission. Noon–7 p.m. 1714 18th Ave., 206-322-3020. CAPITOL HILL THE GRAPEVINE March 25 Billed as the "rarest of events" (it'd better be, considering the ticket price), a 15-vintage, vertical tasting of Forman cabernet-sauvignon, native of Napa Valley, will include bottles dating back to 1980. Vintner Ric Forman will be in attendance at Canlis, where a standup dinner should allow for plenty of mingling, adulation, etc. $350. 6:30 p.m. 2567 Aurora Ave. N., 206-283-3313. QUEEN ANNE March 29 Mike Januik of Januik Winery is sure to find a sympathetic audience at Purple Café and Wine Bar in Kirkland. The less-than-a-year-old outpost of the wine restaurant made popular in Woodinville will host the rising star of winemaking for a six-course dinner paired with Januik wines. $75. 6:30 p.m. 232 Park Place, 425-828-3772. KIRKLAND March 29-31 It could get ugly at Lombardi's this week. Bookwalter Wines and Gordon Bros. Wines will be duking it out for pairing props at the Italian restaurant's three area locations; each winery will match wits (and wines) with a five-course prix fixe spread featuring filet mignon stuffed with anise goat cheese and served with leek-and-fennel confit. $50. 1620 W. Marine View Dr. (Everett), 425-252-1886. 6–8 p.m. Mon. March 29; 695 N.W. Gilman Blvd. (Issaquah), 425-291-9097. 6–8 p.m. Tues. March 30; 2200 N.W. Market St., 206-783-0055. EVERETT, ISSAQUAH, AND BALLARD March 30 Waterfront Seafood Grill concocts five courses to play nice with a quintet of wines from the cellar of acclaimed vintner Charlie Hoppes. $85. 6:30 p.m. 2801 Alaskan Way (Pier 70), 206-956-9171. DOWNTOWN SEATTLE Among current winemaking trends, the "boutique winery" phenomenon certainly has the catchiest name. Yarrow Bay Grill honors the boutique concept at a tasting to include bottles from Chinook Wines, Januik Winery, and McCrea Cellars, to name just a few participating wineries. The mouthwatering menu features Nova lox and caramelized-onion toast points; country paté with cipollini onion relish; pickled onions and cucumbers; and the thankfully onion-free lobster-and-goat-cheese ravioli with roasted garlic ancho cream. $49. 6–8 p.m. 1270 Carillon Pt., 425-803-2941. KIRKLAND April 3 Red Apple Wine Bar puts South African wines in the foreground at its weekly Saturday afternoon tasting. Free. 3–6 p.m. 3601 Fremont Ave. N., 206-633-FOOD. FREMONT April 3-4 The Washington wine mecca's annual "Passport to Woodinville" event draws wine lovers from such distant points as Sweden and Spokane for two days of quality sipping, swishing, and savoring. Upon arriving, you'll get a glass and a map of the region's 15 wineries; on the subsequent journey, you'll taste wines and chat with their makers. $25 per passport (valid both days). 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Various locations, 425-424-2902. WOODINVILLE BACK TO SCHOOL March 25 Recently (and favorably) reviewed in these pages, Ballard prefab-food mecca Grace's Kitchen also offers cooking classes for the ambitious home chef. Tonight's session deals with flaky comfort food, from rustic galette to turkey potpie. $60. 6–8 p.m. 2821-C N.W. Market St., 206-297-3663. BALLARD Pop in Casablanca and whip up a Moroccan feast, as instructed by Everyday Eats guru Erika Lamoureux. Hummus that kicks the patootie of that store-bought stuff is just one of the dishes you'll learn. How about chicken kebabs and vegetable tagine? It could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. $45. 6:30 p.m. 17171 Bothell Way N.E., 425-482-0827. LAKE FOREST PARK More than just the place where Appolonia gets whacked in The Godfather, Sicily is an island rich in earthy Italian fare. Thanks to a very special Bon Vivant cooking class, you can explore this land of anchovies and dry heat by learning its culinary secrets. $39. 7–10 p.m. 4925 N.E. 86th St., 206-525-7537. NORTH SEATTLE March 26 Hotel Vintage Park inaugurates its 2004 wine book author series with Tim Egan, author of The Winemaker's Daughter. LaTour Vineyards head Tom LaTour will be on hand as well to lead a tasting of his 2002 Napa chardonnay. Also expect hors d'oeuvres from Tulio. $5. 4:30 p.m. 1100 Fifth Ave., 206-624-8000. DOWNTOWN SEATTLE March 27 Fish can be frightening, and not just in that Sopranos, portent-of-death way either. Buck up and enroll in "Seafood 101" with Flying Fish owner-chef Christine Keff. From getting it fresh to cooking it with flair, Keff knows all the right moves—as will you. $55. 10:30 a.m. 2234 First Ave., 206-728-8595. BELLTOWN April 3 Some culinary classes amount to Cooking 101; they send you out with a basic knowledge of roasting but nothing impressive with which to wow your in-laws. Not "Seven Courses from Pike Place Market," a Sur La Table class billed as "a day of advanced culinary skills." Here you'll create yellow pepper and asparagus soup with dates and cambozola; you'll also whip up pork medallions with caramelized onion compote. $125. 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 90 Central Way, 425-827-1311. KIRKLAND food@seattleweekly.com